FRINGE BY THE SEA 2024 – FULL PROGRAMME NOW ON SALE

ADAM HILLS, EDDIE EDWARDS, JENNY COLGAN, SUSIE McCABE, BANJO BEALE, DAVID O’DOHERTY, HONEYBLOOD, FRANCES TOPHILL AND ALY & PHIL JOIN OVER 260 EVENTS IN NORTH BERWICK

KEITH BRYMER JONES, ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH, DEL AMITRI, THE JACKSONS, RICHARD E GRANT, CLIVE MYRIE, THE STRANGLERS, HORRIBLE HISTORIES, SINGING KETTLE, CAITLIN MORAN AND LUGHNASADH TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION

NORTH BERWICK : 2ND- 11TH AUGUST 2024

Fringe by the Sea, winner of 2023 VisitScotland’s Thistle Award for Outstanding Festival, today announced full programme for this year’s festival aimed at bringing music, comedy, conversation and family events to North Berwick.

Tickets will go on sale from 9am on Thursday 6th June at www.fringebythesea.com and from the North Berwick Library from Monday 10th June.

New names joining those already announced include The Last Leg’s Adam Hills, former Edinburgh Comedy Award winner David O’Doherty, BBC Gardeners’ World star Frances Tophill, Winter Olympic legend Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, top author Jenny Colgan, winner of Interior Design Masters Banjo Beale, festival favourites Scottish folk duo Phil & Aly, the DM Brass Band, the award-winning Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company, Scottish indie rock act Honeyblood, a return for Susie McCabe, Hugo Rifkind with his new novel, family fun with Miss Googiepants, Nick Nairn with Nick Kwek, crime writer Chris
Brookmyre, Comedy Club 4 Kids and work-in-progress with Fred MacAulay.

Fringe By The Sea has already announced the first wave of acts with The Jacksons, Hot Chip DJ set (with Hayley Zalassi), Alexander McCall Smith, Keith Brymer Jones, Andrew Wasylyk & Tommy Perman, , Richard E Grant, The Stranglers, Del Amitri, Caitlin Moran, Singing Kettle, Mighty Kids Beat Box Comedy Show, Trash Test Dummies, Clive Myrie, Ray Mears, Horrible Histories, Tom McGuire & The Brassholes, and House Gospel Choir.

There is a host of events in the Masterclass Tent from making gin cocktails with Lind and Lime and whisky cocktails with Glenmorangie, Portuguese wine tasting and Ayurvedic massage as well as classes in Hip Hop, drama and playing brass instruments. Outside there is the opportunity to get to know East Lothian better with either the daily Walk the Toun, North Berwick in Bloom, Coastal Wildlife Tour, Ezee Riders Bike tour, North Berwick’s Horrid History, running tour and Nature Journaling.

As well as the many children’s performers there will be a heap of events (some ticketed and others free) for wee ones at the KidZone.

The programme booklet features a design from the winner of the East Lothian primary schools cover competition – the talented Emily Barnes of P6 at Cockenzie Primary School.

The first weekend will close with Lughnasadh Torchlight Procession supported by GoFibre Broadband. For the first time the summer harvest festival Lughnasadh will be celebrated at Fringe by the Sea with a spectacular seaside Torchlight Procession, with Beltane Fire Society and a special fire poem performance from artist Robert Montgomery. Lugh was a popular sun god, worshipped throughout the Celtic world, and the community of Beltane Fire
Society is helping us mark this ancient tradition with a magical parade in North Berwick. All are invited to be part of the procession which will wind along the seafront of the town, with fire displays and performances along the route, culminating at the Lodge Grounds with a ceremonial torch giving.

The festival is delighted that John Clark Volvo will be Official Car Partner of Fringe by the Sea 2024 along with returning partner SSE Renewables who will be hosting our Wild Side venue with a range of drop-in environmental programming.

GoFibre, partners for the Torchlight procession, is a Scottish independent broadband provider. Founded in the Borders, they bring lightning-fast, reliable broadband to homes and businesses in North Berwick and beyond.

North Berwick Trust continue their support of Fringe by the Sea as a Master Partner with three years of grant funding, totalling £96,000. The hub of the festival will once be again in North Berwick’s Lodge Grounds, where The Trust will showcase its work as well support the involvement of other community groups at the event.

Coulters Estate Agents will sponsor the Makers Market for the 3rd year in a row, showcasing the work of talented makers from across the county throughout the 10 days.

And crowd favourite The Lighthouse Live Stage returns to Lodge Grounds where audiences and visitors can sample some international flavours of
street food.

The Economic Impact Report (EIR) for last year’s Fringe By The Sea undertaken by MKA Economics has shown that Fringe By The Sea is now a major financial boost for North Berwick and East Lothian. The net additional impact of visitor spend during the ten days between 4-13 August, when the 14th FBTS festival was held in North Berwick, was in the region of £7,313,884 which is a 14% increase on 2022. It attracted a total number of 74,750 visitors, 31% up on 2022; the event has grown year on year since it started in 2008.

Festival Director Rory Steel said: “The Fringe By The Sea team have pulled it off again, bringing a brilliant programme together. Where else can you have a tarot card reading, listen to Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards’ Olympic story, pick up gardening tips from Frances Tophill, learn how to play a trombone, laugh out loud with Adam Hills, Susie McCabe and David O’Doherty, make some cocktails and listen to brilliant music from the likes of Del Amitri, The Jacksons, Honeyblood and Phil & Aly.”

For further information contact:
Fiona Duff
fiona@duffpublicity.com 07710 419762
www.fringebythesea.com
Notes to editors:
– Fringe by the Sea is an award-winning, not for profit, multi-arts festival which takes place
over 10-days in August in the seaside town of North Berwick with a programme of 200+
comedy, music, family, film and literature events.
– Fringe by the Sea was named Outstanding Festival/Event in the 2023 National Thistle
Awards, Event Scotland.
– Fringe by the Sea 2024 will run in North Berwick from 2nd-11th August.
– Programme announcements will be made regularly with the final programme available in
June 2024.
– www.fringebythesea.com